Q: Is that what your message is to the players after a generational performance on Tuesday night? It’s all about kicking on, maintaining that and seeing if you can continue to improve just for the remainder of the campaign.
Brendan Rodgers: “No, my message, I was just saying that was from other people. My message is we analyse the game, we study the game, and we reinforce with the players the process that we are in and how we’re looking to improve. We’ve been waiting probably as a club and a support base for a performance like that for a while. It’s not just to perform, but to win and perform to that level. And we want to sustain that. And I think we’ve shown in three of the four games in the Champions League that we’re actually a good side. But we know we’ve got a lot of work to do. Our first aim is to make the playoffs and that’s still very much the case. But for the players and ourselves, we are very much systematic in our approach. We look at the game, all the areas that we were really good in, reinforcing that. Playing against a team that’s renowned for their energy and their pressing and the counter-pressing and our physicality were ahead of RB Leipzig, which is really, really impressive. So you share that with the players, but you’re also looking at what we can improve and the areas that we can be better in.”
Q: Looking at the weekend, what do you expect from Kilmarnock?
Brendan Rodgers: “Always a tough game against Derek McInnes’ teams. I think when we played them a couple of times in the early part of last season, they were better than us and deserved to win. Once we got to grips with how we were working and our idea and focus in the turn of the year, then when we played, we were obviously in a different place. And obviously, come the end of the season, then we were in a really good place. And I would say now we’re in an even better place. But that doesn’t take away the tariff of the game. It’s still going to be very difficult. Derek’s teams are always well-organised. They’re always super motivated and they will always challenge you. And that’s something that we’ll be ready for.”
Q: Can you talk about the process that you’ve been in? Once you’ve got to that level, you’ve almost aspired to, does it change for you to maintain it, or does it accelerate the confidence they get from seeing how they can perform? Does that help you to introduce more things to the team?
Brendan Rodgers: “As I said, the process is all about looking to sustain it at that level. And you look to try and do that over several years, not just a couple of games. But it was a big step, I felt we made in the last few games. And in particular, the one at home. Because, as I said, the performance, when I felt it in the game, but watching it back and seeing the tactical discipline in the team and the work rate of the team and the ambition in the team, but then the absolute quality of which the players, the technical level that they played and the speed and the pace in the game and how creative we were, it was so, so good. And so we had that combination then. Once you do that on the field, Celtic Park was built for performances and nights like that. You sensed and felt what the crowd thought of it. And that gave a big, big energy to the team. So we reflect on it, we move on. We can’t wait for the next game in that competition at home again. But before that, we’ve got a couple of really important games.
Q: Generally, how many times have you watched back that game? Just the once or do you watch it back a few times?
Brendan Rodgers: “Yes, so obviously it’s always very difficult after a game to rest and to sleep. So by the time you get home, then you watch the game back and take some notes on the game. Because initially, you may think when you’re standing on the touchline watching the game that you haven’t played quite as well. And then you go back, and you watch it back and you actually realise there’s so many really good moments in the game. And sometimes it’s the other way as well. Sometimes you’ve played really well, but you look back and it’s not quite at the level. But yes, I’ve watched it once back. And then obviously then you divide it into certain areas that you’d want to improve. But no, just watching the whole game back, it’s really good to see. Because our job is to build a relationship between the training and the games. That’s why you watch it back. That’s why you analyse it, to see the areas where it was very good and the areas that we can improve and correct.”
